Sunday

Type-feel, Swiss platens, rubber.

14 comments:

That might just work. The only trick would be the seam which runs the length of the inner tube. Unless modern bike tyre tubes have changed since I got a flat back in the late '70s.Still, it's nothing that a few runs with a fine-grain sandpaper couldn't fix.Worth a shot.

I hope the bike tube approach will work, but don't those tubes have a noticeable seam?

The topic of different typing feels is very interesting and apparently inexhaustible, because there are subtle variations in feel and perception between different models, different specimens, and different users. I myself don't find the Hermes 3000 to be fast, for instance -- precise, yes, but not particularly snappy or speedy.

This would really be great if it did work. That, and I am considering trying Richard's approach for feed roller replacement that he outlined for the Sholes Visible. It has been a great week for rubber resurfacing tips!

Well, actually I've been thinking about taking the Platen out of my Hermes and sending it over to get re-covered - when I have a chance. If the tube experiment fails, I'm sure I can drop yours into a bag with mine and send it across. So, no great loss.

Incidentally, keep and eye out for those cheaper 70's plastic H3000s. I have two of them now, and the platens fit just fine on my beloved green machine. Might be worth keeping in mind for spare parts. .... Do you need a loan Platen?

I also would be curious about lathing back a platen about a mm and giving the shrink tube thing a go. I know no-one in QLD with a lathe however.

All right! That's it - I'm gonna do it. I think maybe turning the tube inside out might deal with the seam issue (I notice they have cross-lines too - along the diameter) - even then, a little sanding goes a long way too.

Scott - thanks for the offer of a loan. I might have an other question about a bit of carriage-shift gumminess. And notice the tops of letters (esp caps) are not impressing properly - suspect it's the hardness of platen...

Tops of the letters sounds very much like dodgy platen territory, but are the lowercase and uppercase letters matching up alright along the line?

As for the gumminess, I take it you mean the carriage being a bit reluctant to return? I've had a couple of machines with this problem, and I have usually solved it with a brand new spring on the shift mechanism. Looks like you're going to be spending some time with a screwdriver. If you get stuck somewhere, give us a yell.

Scott - the line alignment is fine - can be tweaked easily enough. And it's the shift that's a bit gummy - it just comes down a little bit slower when released. Small thing - but noticeable at speed. Think it's because the previous user was mad for correction paper - that gunk was everywhere. Suspect some has infiltrated deeper.